apped up by the eunuchs, who shared it as their perquisite. The
king's female master of the ceremonies was in attendance, and she made
an offering of the khanum's present, which was laid out on a silver
tray, and consisted of six _arac girs_, or skull caps, embroidered
by that lady's own hands; six _sineh girs_, or breast covers, made of
padded shawl, worn in cold weather over the shirt; two pairs of trousers
of Cashmerian shawl; three silk shirts, and six pairs of stockings,
knitted by the women of the doctor's house. His majesty having accepted
this, with many encomiums on the khanum's industry and skill, the women
were marshalled in two lines on each side of him; 'and I,' said Zeenab,
'in order that every mortification possible might be heaped upon me, was
placed the last in the row, even below Nur Jehan, the black slave. You
ought to have seen the pains which all of us, even old Leilah, took to
attract the Shah's attention: some were bashful, others stole wicked
looks and glanced sideways; others, again, were bold, and kept their
eyes fixed on the king's face. Having inspected each in turn, he paused,
and keeping his eyes riveted upon me, turned to the doctor, and said,
"What sort of thing is this? she is no indifferent commodity. By the
king's _jika_,[59] the animal is fine! Doctor, mashallah! you have a
good taste--the moon face, the stag eye, the cypress waist, everything
is here."

'Upon which the doctor, making the lowest obeisance, said, "May I be
your sacrifice, notwithstanding the slave is totally unworthy of notice;
yet, since I and everything that belongs to me is the property of the
King of Kings, may I venture to place her as an offering at the foot of
your majesty's throne?"

'"_Caboul!_ I accept her," said the Shah; and then calling the chief
eunuch to him, he ordered that I should be educated for a _baziger_
(dancer or singer), that all my clothes, &c., should be made suited to
my future profession, and that I should be ready accomplished to appear
before him upon his return from his summer campaign.

'Oh! I shall never forget,' exclaimed Zeenab, 'the looks of the doctor's
wife when this conversation was passing; she turned towards the Shah in
great humility, acquiescing in all that was said, and then cast glances
upon me, which spoke the thousand angry passions by which her breast was
agitated. As for the Georgian, she looked daggers and arsenic, whilst
Nur Jehan's good-humoured face was lightened